griffiths



4 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. GRIFFITHS & H. F. WOODGATE. REGOIL OPERATBD GUN.

(No Model.)

THE NAYIDNAL Lrmumumna coMPANv.

w muero n '(NoModel.) 4sneets-sne'et 2.

W. GRIPFITHS & H. F. WOODGATE.

ARECOIL OPERATED GUN.

wAeumsraN. u. a

(No Model.; 4 sheets-sheet 3.

W..GR1FPITHS au H. P. WOODGATE.

` RBGOIL OPERATED GUN.

No. 512,437. Patented Jan. 9, 1894.

NiTED STATES PATENT IVILLIAM GRIFFITI-IS AND HERBERT FERDINAND WOODGATE, OF LONDON,

ENGLAND. y

RECOlL-OPERATED GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'No. 512,437, dated January 9, 1894.

Application led March 23, 1893. Serial No. 467,274. iNo model.) Patented in England December 5, 1891, No 21,282, and in France November 5, 1892, No. 225,439.

To all whom it may concern.: represents alongitudinal section of the breech Be it known that we, WILLIAM GRIFFITHS, piece, the breech bolt and parts of the barrel of Bexley Heath, and HERBERT FERDINAND with a side view of a lever extractor for start- WOODGATE, of Woolwich, London, in the ing the spent cartridge. Fig. lOa is a partial 5 county of Kent, England, have invented cerlongitudinal section of the gun, on an en- 55 tain new and useful Improvements in Magalarged scale, showing the breech open, and zine Firearms, (for which we have obtained the breech bolt on the point of releasing the Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 21,282, cartridge upermost in the magazine, and aldated December 5, 1891, and a brevet dinlowing it to take the position for charging to vention of the French Republic, No. 225,439, the barrel, the hammer being alreadyr cocked 6o dated November 5, 1892,) of which the foland held fast by the locking or safety sear. lowing is a specification. Fig. 11 are side views of two metal bands Our invention chieiy relates to military which serve as supports and guides for the rifles fitted with magazines, but it is also apbarrel. Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section of a x5 plicable to other firearms and guns in which magazine riiie, showing an improved safety 65 the force of the recoil is utilized for opening lock as modified to suit a hammerless gun. the breech, extracting and ejecting the empty In Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive and in Fig. 10, a cartridge cases,cocking the hammer orring is .the barrel, rigidly secured to a tubular rod, and closing and locking the breech, a breech piece b, which is free to slide in a cyzo hereinafter described. lindrical metallic case c, made fast by screws 7o The improvements are mainly directed to to the stock of the gun. This case is closed means for locking and unlocking the breech at its rear end, and is slotted at the bottom bolt and controlling its movements, and to a as indicated at c for the reception of the carnew arrangement of safety lock. tridges from the magazine d, and at one side z5 In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 as indicated at c2 for the discharge of the 75 shows in partial side view a magazine gun spent cartidges. constructed according to our invention. Fig. e is the breech bolt, which is free to slide 2 is a longitudinal section of the same, showin the breech piece b, and is carried rearward, ing the locked position of the breech bolt, under the action of' the recoil, to cock the 3o and thehammer in the cocked position ready hammer g, eject the empty case, and open a 8o for Iiring. Fig. 3 is' a ,longitudinal section, space in rear of the barrel for the supply of showing the extreme effect 0f the recoil on a fresh cartridge. the breech bolt and hammer, and the clear- The barrel a. is fitted with a sleeve a', to ance made for the admission of a fresh carform a seat foria coiled spring a2, which bears 55 tridge to the barrel. Fig. 4. is a horizontal against the forward end of the cylindrical 85 section, showing the breech bolt as having case c attached firmly to the stock. reached the point in the back movement Fitted to the rear end of the breech bolt e, where the extractor acts to discharge the and free to turn thereon, is a locking nut e', spent cartridge. Fig. 5 is a cross section on with radial projections or ribs 23 shown de- 4o the line 1, 2 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a cross sectached at Figs. 8 and 9. This nut carries a 9o tion on the line 3, tof Fig. 3; and Fig. 7 is a lever arm or handle e?,which projects through cross section on the line 5, 6 of Fig. 2. The a cam slot c3 4(Fig. l) formedin the right hand arrows Figs. 2 and 3 indicate the direction in side of the cylindrical case c. The interlockwhich the sections are viewed. Fig. 7* is a ing of this nut with the rear end of the tubu- 45 section on a larger scale than Fig. f7, taken lar breech piece b takes place when the nut 95 in the same line, of the locking nut and the has entered the breech piece through grooves breech bolt. Fig. S shows in plan view the or ways 22 provided in the latter, and the arm locking nut of the breech block interlocked of the nut has traversed the forward curve with the breech piece, and Fig. 9 is a front of the cam slot c3 and is in the depressed po- 5o view of the locking nut detached. Fig. 10 sition of Fig. l. The rear bend of this slot roo provides for the locking of the breech bolt in its back position, a spring catch c4 being einpowered to hold down the arm or handle e2, when depressed, which arrangement provides for the gun being used as a single loader. The said catch c4 consists of a thin laterally resilient piece of spring steel pivoted to the stock by a pin 1S, as shown in Fig. Land carrying a small inwardly projecting pin 19, the point of which may enter one or other of two holes 20, 21, in the stock. When the said pin 19 is in the forward one of said two holes as shown in Fig. l, the catch leaves the handle of the locking nut free to turn in and out of the recess formed in the bottom of the rear part of the cam groove c3, but when the catch is moved to bring the said pin 19 into the other hole 21, the said catch prevents the handle from being turned upward and allows a cartridge to be inserted by hand into the barrel; this being done, the catch is tripped out of tho hole 21 and the breech bolt is free to be moved forward. The locking position assumed by the nut is due to the forward movement of the breech bolt, which causes the arm e2 to travel along the cam slot, until it reaches the forward end of the slot. Arrived at this point, the arm is thrust down into the position of Fig. 1 by means of a coiled spring e3, (see Figs. 7 and 101) which imparts an axial motion to the nut, and causes it to engage with the tubular breech piece, as shown in the detached View Fig. 8. This coiled spring ci is made fast at one end by riveting as shown at 1G in Fig. 7*, to the interior of the guiding sleeve e5 forming part of the breech-bolt and is made fast at the other end to the exterior of the locking nut e by being hooked on to a stud 17 fast in the said nut. The coiling up of this spring is caused by the arm e2 of the nut being forced by the recoil action from the position shown in Fig. 1, up into the horizontal portion of the slot c3.

In Fig. 8, it will be seen that an annular groove is cut on the inner face of the breech piece, near the rear thereof, and this groove is entered by notches or grooves 22, which correspond to the ribs or locking pieces 23 of the,

nut c. These notches or grooves 22 are shown in Figs. 3 and 6 in which the sections are taken directly through them, and they are also indicated by dotted outlines in Figs. 4 and 8, and the ribs 23 of the looking nut are shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 8. lVhen, therefore, the nut is brought up so as to pass through the notches or grooves 22 of the breech piece, and enters the annular recess at the end thereof, it will, being free to move axially under the action of the coiled spring e3, (see Figs..7 and 7*) interlock, as shown in Fig. S, with the shoulders 24 (see Figs. G and 8) left behind the circular groove 15 in the breech piece between the notches or grooves 23, and thus secure the bolt until the recoil, after firing, takes place. The first effect of this recoil is to drive back the breech bolt and barrel. The back pressure thus put upon the bolt will cause the nut to be turned by its lever arm c2 traveling up the cam groove, and the release of the bolt from the breech piece will be thereby effected, leaving the bolt free to move back alone, under the impulse of the recoil, recock the ham mer g, and compress the propellingspring c4, as shown at Fig. 3.

In order to retard the movements of the breech bolt, while completing its back motion (under the impulse of the recoil), and commencing its return, to give time for the placing of a fresh cartridge in line, as shown by dots in Fig. 3, the rear end of the slot c3 is curved or sloped, downward as shown at 010 in Fig. 1,thus causing the arm e2 to travel through a lengthened course in comparison with the progress made at the same time by the breech bolt. The forward or return motion of the breech bolt, thus slightly retarded, is eected by the recoil of the compressed spring e4, which, as will be seen,bears upon the closed end of the case c, and enters a guiding sleeve e5 carried by the bolt. This bolt is made hollow, as usual, at its front end, to receive the firing pinf, with its rctracting springf (Fig. 4), and it projects into the guiding sleeve ci of the bolt. The case c and sleeve e5 are slotted longitudinally in the plane of motion of the hammer g, to admit of the hammer rising to strike the tiring pin.

Projecting from the underside of the breech bolt, close to the fore end thereof, is a stud e* (see Fig. 10) which serves, in the advanced position of the bolt, to hold down the cartridges, which are pressed upward by the propelling spring of the magazine. On the recession, however', of the bolt, the uppermost cartridge is thrust up from the magazine and into the position shown in Fig. 10 and ultimately into the dotted position of Fig. 3, ready to be forced, on the return movement of the bolt, by the expansion of the spring e4, into the barrel.

e6 is the extractor, consisting of an elastic hooked finger attached to, and recessed into the breech bolt e. To prevent this bolt turningin its traverse movements, it is fitted with a stud 25 (see Fig. 5) which enters a longitudinal groove formed in the breech piece I).

To facilitate the discharge of the spent cartridge, we may use a lever extractor e7, of the form shown in Figs. 10 and 10 pivoted in a slot made at the junction of t-he breech piece and barrel. The outer end of this lever extractor works in a longitudinal slot in the case c, its inner or shorter end entering the cartridge chamber in the breech, to take onto the cartridge head. On the recoil of the barrel, the outer end'of the extractor comes into contact with the rear end of the longitudinal slot, when the breech is within three-sixty fourths of an inch of being fully unlocked. By the further backward movement of the breech piece, the extractor is forced back until its highest point is low enough to pass inside IOO IIO

the case, thus offering no obstruction to the completion of the recoil. This tipping movement of the extractor e7 starts the empty cartridge case, leaving it free to be taken back by the extractor e6 attached to the bolt, and ejected from the case as shown in Fig. 4.

Theforward end of the longitudinal slot serves A to bringtheV lever extractor back into place, upon the return of the'barrel.

The means for operating the hammer we will now proceed to describe. h, Figs. 2, 3 and 10a, is abox fixed to the under side of the case c by screws, and to its bottom the trigger guard is attached. This box is intended to receive the whole mechanism of the lock. c' is the trigger, hung loosely upon a pin t", and retained in its normal position by a spring t2. The pin t" serves also as the fulcrum for a sear lever k. The hammer g, mounted in the box h, is formed and fitted,to receive a locking or safety sear g (held in contact with the hammer by the spring g2), and the firing scar, which is the sear lever k j ust mentioned. For actuating this sear lever, the trigger is fitted with a lifting arm 3,Which is pivoted to a lug on the back of the trigger and pressed into engagement with the rear end of the sear leverbyaspringz'o. (See Fig. 10a.) Thislifting arm, by its rise, is caused to trip the sear lever clear of the hammer. This sear lever is held in the bent of the hammer by the pressure upon its tail end, of one end of the main spring Z, its other end acting, as usual, on the hammer.

In the face of the lifting arm i3 an inclined slot is cut to receive a fixed pin h', projecting from the side of the box. As, therefore, the arm t3 is raised by the pulling of the trigger to fire the gun, the arm will, when it has released the sear lever fromV the hammer, be thrust back in the act of sliding against the iixed pin h', leaving the main spring free to rockthe Sear lever into its raised position, ready to engage again with the hammer, when the hammer is thrust back by the recoil of the gun.

In order to prevent the gun from being fired before the breech bolt c has been returned to its seat in the breech end of the barrel, the locking sear g is provided. This sear-4 consists of a notched bar fulcrumed at the bottom of the box, and extending upward and outward through the box, to meet the arm c2 of the locking nut e of the breech bolt e, immediately before the arm e2 reaches the hottom of the cam groove c3. The return movement, therefore, of the breech bolt (eected by the rebound of its propelling spring e4), will cause the arm of the locking nut c2 to strike the projecting tail of the Sear arm g', and throw that sear out of contact with the hammer, thus leaving the hammer free to move on the tripping of the sear lo and strike the firing pin, so soon as the breech bolt is properly seated and secured in place.

Aixed to the stock near its forward end,

S groove c and serving as supports and guides for the barrel a, are two metal bands n n, Figs. l and 2, and shown detached at Fig. 11. The foremost of these bands serves not merely as a guide for the barrel, but carries also a fore-v sight.

From the foregoing description it will be understood, that in firing our improved gun, the following movements will take place. On the pulling of the trigger t', the arm 115, which is pivoted thereto, will lift the tail end of the sear lever k, and withdraw the sear from the bent of the hammer g. The hammer thus set free will, under the action of the main spring Z, rise to the tiring position shown in dots in Fig. 2, and strike the tiring pin f, thereby discharging the cartridge inserted in the barrel a. The recoil action produced by this discharge will have the effect of driving the barrel toward the rear end of the case c, against the pressure of the coiled spring a2, which spring serves to return the barrel to its normal position. In its back movement, the barrel carries back with it the tubular breech piece b, and the breech bolt e contained therein, and locked thereto by the nut e', and, at the same time, it sets the cartridge extractors in action. As the nut e is fitted with a lever arm or handle e2, which is free to traverse the cam slot c3, it will, by the back movement of the breech bolt, be disengaged from the tubular breech piece b, and following the impulse given to it by the recoil, the bolt will recede from the closed position of Fig. 2, to the extreme position of Fig. 3. This movement of the breech bolt compresses the spring e4 at its rear, and at the same time causes the handle e2 to move down the rear bend of the groove c3. v This back movement of the breech bolt,

carryingwith it the firing pin f, also drives back the hammer g to its cocked position, where it is instantly engaged with the safety sear g', and the firing sear lever la, which latter, having been released by the tripping of the trigger arm i3, will be heldin position for catching the hammer, whether the trigger be released or not from pressure. While the breech bolt is completing its back movement, and is under the impulse of the spring e4 starting for its return, its movement is retarded, as already explained, by the lengthened movement of the arm e2 in the rear bend of the slot c2. Time-is thus given for a fresh cartridge to be raised into line with the barrel, and, on the completion of the return of the breech bolt, this cartridge will be thrust forward into the barrel, and into contact with the ejector lever e7, which, at the recoil of v'the barrel, was caused to start the spent cartridge, and facilitate its discharge by the ordinary extractor. The propelling action of the compressed spring e4 drives forward the lOO breech bolt e, until the arm or handle of the nut e reaches the forward end of the cam In traversing the forward bend, the arm, assisted by the coiled spring of the nut e', imparts to the nut an axial motion, and therebylocks the breech bolt to the tubular breech piece. At the same time, the arm e2 encounters the tail of the sear g', and trips the scar out of the hammer bent, thereby leaving the hammer free to respond to the motion of the trigger.

To adapt our safety lock to hammerless guns, we modify the arrangements of the sear lever as shown in the longitudinal section Fig. l2, reference letters in which refer to like-lettered parts in the foregoing description. k is the sear lever, mounted, in this case, on a fnlcrum separate from that of the trigger i. fis the firing-pin which is free to slide in and with the breech bolt e, and is propelled forward by a coiled spring f i" contained in a tubular case f2, which is closed at its rear end, and is attached to the tubular extension of the breech bolt e. The firing pinf is free to slide through a central hole in the bottom of the tube f2, and it is propelled forward through the head of the bolt, to reach the cartridge in the barrel, by the recoil of the spring fi, which is compressed between the bottom of the tube f2 and a block f3 made fast to the firing pin. This block projects through a longitudinal slot in the bolt e, and is caught by the searleveraon the advance of the bolt to close the breech. A special scar springc bears on the tail of the sear lever` and thus insures this action of the sear. The release of the sear lever 7s from the tiring pin is effected by the trigger i, when pulled, raising the lifting arm t3 and tripping the scar lever. To prevent the vii ring pin actingprematurely, or before the breech bolt is seated and locked in place, the safety sear g of Figs. 2 and 3 is employed, but in this instance it is adapted to stop the action of the sear lever k, until the breech bolt is locked. This it does by presenting to the under side of the Sear lever, a shoulder, which, so long as that shoulder lies in the plane of motion of the scar lever, will prevent the lever responding to the pressure put on the trigger. So soon, however, as the arm of the locking nui t" reaches the tail of the scar g', the scar will be rocked on its fulcrum from the dotted position of Fig. l2 to its drawn position, thereby leaving the sear lever 7c free to respond to the movement of the trigger.

To prevent the sear lever, iu either of the above described arrangements, from beingaccidentally disengaged from the bent of the hammer or firing-pin, we provide a horizontal rocking pin m, which has "its bearings in the sides of the box h, and underlies the sear lever. This pin is recessed at the part immediately below the sear, to allow for the downward movement of the sear lever. To prevent this movement, it is only necessary to give the rocking pin a half turn by means of a lever m outside the box, when the pin 'm will be caused to bear on the under side of the Sear lever, and prevent it from leaving the bent of the hammer or the retainingblock of the firing pin.

It may be well here to remark, that the advantages which we claim for our improved lock mechanism, are (a) that the arm is fully recocked and at the instant following the explosion, even though the trigger has not been released from the pressure pnt upon it at firing; (b) that when the breech is reclosed and locked on a new cartridge, the tiring of such cartridge is eifectually prevented until the pressure on the trigger is removed; the trig ger is returned by its spring to the normal position; and the readjustinent of'the lifting arm and sealr lever is effec-ted.

Vhat we claim isl. The combination of the stock and a cylindrical metallic case made fast thereto and having in it a cam-slot, a tubular breechpiece fitted to slide in said cylindrical metallic case and having the gun barrel attached to it, a breech-bolt fitted to slide in said breechpiece and provided with a guiding sleeve, a hammer, a safety sear for engaging with the hammer, a ribbed locking nut turning on the breech-bolt for engaging it in its forward position with the breech-piece, a coiled spring applied between said guiding sleeve and locking nut for turning the said nut in a direction to lock the breech-bolt to the breechpiece, and a handle or arm on said nut working in the cam-slot of the cylindrical metallic case for turning said nut in either direction and for disengaging the safety Sear, all substantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination of the breech-piece, the breech-bolt sliding therein, the locking-nut for locking the breech-bolt to the breechpiece, and the cylindrical metal case in which the breech-piece slides, said locking nut being provided with a projecting arm, said cylindrical case containing a cam-slot for the passage of said arm or handle, and said c'amslot having at its rear end a downward slope to retard the completion of the backward movement of the breech-bolt, substantially as herein set forth.

3. The combination with the hammer and trigger, of a sear lever of which the front end engages with the hammer or equivalent firing device and a spring applied to the rear end of the said lever to produce such engagement, a lifting arm having an inclined face and pivoted to the trigger to engage with the rear end of the said lever, a spring applied to said lifting arm to produce the latter engagement, and a fixed pin arranged in front of said inclined face to produce the disengagement of said lifting arm and lever by the pull of the trigger, substantially as herein described.

t. The combination with the hammer and trigger, of a Sear lever pivoted upon the trigger pin and engaging at its front end with the bent of the hammer, a main spring of which one end presses upward on the hammer and IOO TOS

the other downward upon the rear end of said gage said arm from said Sear 1ever,`snbstan Sear lever, a lifting arm having an inclined tallyas herein set forth.

face and pivoted to the trigger, a spring ap- WILLIAM GRIEFITHS.

plied to said lifting arm to engage it with said HERBERT FERDINAND WOODGATE. Sear lever, and a xed pin which is arranged Witnesses:

in front of said inclined face and against H. K. WHITE,

which the said inclined face Works to disen- THOMAS LAKE. 

